Guardian-backed research firm Streetbees on brink of collapse

An AI-powered marketplace probe steadfast which has counted Unilever and Vodafone among its clients is connected the brink of collapse.

Sky News understands that Streetbees, which was founded successful 2015, has filed a announcement of volition to name the nonrecreational services steadfast FRP Advisory arsenic administrator.

Sources said that a purchaser was being lined up to instrumentality power of the concern successful the coming days.

Streetbees' impending illness follows efforts to find a solvent purchaser - successful a process besides tally by FRP - implicit the past mates of months.

Staff are understood to person been briefed connected the insolvency filing precocious past week.

Streetbees, which has besides worked with Heineken, Ferrero and Avon, has raised tens of millions of pounds successful backing from blue-chip backers.

It raised a $40m Series B backing circular from investors including Lakestar, LocalGlobe and GMG Ventures - the early-stage concern limb of Guardian Media Group - successful 2020.

GMG Ventures has since rebranded arsenic Mercuri.

A spokesperson for Streetbees said: "Streetbees has engaged advisors to oversee a process aiming to unafraid concern oregon merchantability the concern and its assets.

"We person filed a announcement of volition to name administrators, arsenic a protective measure, to supply the clip indispensable to advancement discussions that are astatine an precocious stage.

"We volition not remark further connected immoderate marketplace speculation."